Inside Those Gates
by qpritchie1
Summary: Jason Sanders just moved to Orange County when his parents get divorced and he's chosen to live with his mother, Lori. He makes it into Harbor and meets the gang, quickly realizing that he has feelings for Ryan, is it mutual? Ryan/OC MM SLASH RxR, please!
1. Chapter 1

**Oh, Lord...here we go again. Another story, which probably won't even be reviewed, but I was re-watching the entire series of "The O.C." and I just had to belt out a new one, because let's face it; I'm a story whore. It's the truth! I love making new stories. God, I must have some sort of commitment issues with Fanfiction or something. Anyways, here goes the plot...**

**Chapter Summary: Jason Sanders just moved to Orange County when his parents get divorced and he's chosen to live with his mother, Lori. He makes it into Harbor and meets the gang. What happens when he figures out that he lives in Marissa Cooper's old house?**

**A/N****: This is AU, definitely. All of my stories are, considering I make straight characters gay lol. This is set during Season 2, so right around the second Chrismukkah (I love Seth for creating it lol)**

**Pairings****: The main is definitely Ryan/OC, but there is some Ryan/Lindsay. The other pairings are Seth/Alex, Summer/Zach, Marissa/DJ, Marissa/Alex, Summer/Seth, etc.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own The O.C, because if I did, Seth/Ryan would have totally taken place lol at least for a little bit.**

**Alright, I'm ready to get started, hope you're ready, too! =)**

_**THE O.C.**_

"You know you could've stayed with your father. I would have understood if you didn't want to start a whole new life on the other side of the country." my mother, Lori, said to me as she drove me to our new home. It was in Orange County, Newport to be exact, where the sun shines year-round and not a flake of snow touches these grounds. A big difference from living in New York City.

"No, it's what I want. A fresh start, you know? That's pretty much every outcast's dream, isn't it?" I explained with a bitter tone in my voice. At my last school, I was bullied constantly for being gay. Friends were almost non-existent, all except for my friend, Maggie. But it wasn't like I was leaving her. She moved away before my parents divorce was final. All the way down to Florida. I missed her, but I knew that we would be better off having new lives rather than our shitty old ones.

"I guess so, hon." my mom agreed with a knowing smile on her face, her dark brown hair wafting with the passing wind from her open window. The sun was just beginning to rise, the light hitting the surface of the ocean, creating a quivering reflection. The sky was a nice mix of purple, red, orange, and yellow. You do not want to know what time I had to take a flight to get here so damn early. Let's just put it this way; it takes about five hours to get here and it's now, roughly, around six in the morning. I'm pretty sure you're trying to do the math in your head, so I'll help you out. Four in the morning, and let me tell you, I'm definitely not a morning person.

"You know, it's really nice out here. I'm sure you'll meet a lot of new friends." She always tried to comfort me, but it rarely ever worked. I just pretended that it did, though, just to get her to stop worrying about me. She was the same way with my sister, Madison. She just loved us enough to try and comfort us every chance she felt we needed it, but we both loved her for it. Madison actually moved out last year when she turned nineteen, right before my parents declared divorce. It wasn't until last week that it was final. That's when I was given the decision to move out here with my mother, and I happily obliged.

"We're here." she smiled excitedly as she drove up the driveway and parked the car right in front of the door.

"Really, Mom? We live in a cul-de-sac?" I said teasingly as I got out of the car and grabbed my stuff from the back of her car. A few weeks back, she had bought the house and had the best decorators in all of the west coast furnish it. This was the first time she saw the house after its redecoration. Her job pays well, so she obviously had enough to spend it extravagantly on a new life. Lucky for her, she can work from here, but she would get demoted, but still had more or less of the same salary.

"Wow, when you said this was nice, you weren't kidding." I said, setting down my luggage holding all of my things at the front entrance. Then, I saw our backyard. "Please don't tell me that's an infinity pool..." I whined slightly, walking forward to one of the windows that overlooked the back of the house.

"Mm, well... welcome to the dark side." she joked while putting her coat up inside a hallway closet. "You have a choice of any room you like that isn't the master, because you're dear mother will be taking that one."

"What if that's the only one I want?" I teased, following her up the stairs to the second floor of this huge house.

"You're killing me, Smalls." she joked, causing me to chuckle lightly. She lead me to three different bedrooms, one was decorated in neutral browns, but that was too plain for me. Another was decorated in pastel shades of green and blue, much like the ocean that we overlooked. And the last one was perfect. It had white walls, trimmed with a light blue color that matched the pillows on the bed. The wall behind the bed was made of some sort of gray stone. Adjacent from the bed was a large charcoal dresser big enough to store all of my clothes and such. The wall across from the door wasn't a wall at all, but a series of ceiling-to-floor windows and a glass door that lead to a small balcony. Next to the bed was a hallway that lead to a walk-in-closet and, what I assumed, was my own bathroom. In the corner was a metallic computer desk that already had my laptop set up for me.

"How the hell'd you know I'd pick this?" I asked curiously, walking into the room.

"Because we're genetically bonded and I'm kind of jealous of it." she said, peering through from the door to peak around the corner of it.

"Wait, you let some strangers put my thousand dollar laptop here unsupervised?" I asked, slightly agitated at the moment. It was worth a lot, not just a dollar amount, either. It was given to me for my birthday from my sister, whom I rarely see any more.

"Oh, details, details. Come look at my room and be equally as jealous." she said, quickly changing the subject and turning around to walk down the hallway again.

Her room was bathed in scarlet, gray, and white. It looked somewhat like my room, but it didn't get me as excited.

"Nope, I like mine better." I said, turning back to go down the stairs and grab my luggage.

"Fuck, I was hoping you'd want to switch with me." My mother and I were both pretty bad when it came to cursing around each other. Sure, we did when we were around other family members and friends, but never as bad as we are around each other. To be honest, she was also part of the reason I moved all the way out here. I was never really that close to my father. We fought constantly over the most miniscule topic, and it was getting annoying. I knew I had to get out of there before my salvation that was my home would be taken away from me.

"Not a chance, lady." I teased, dragging my three duffel bags up the ivory staircase.

"Aww, come on, you know you want to give into the red." she said, showcasing her room like Vanna White does as I passed it by, not even looking into the room again.

"I'd rather give into my balcony." I called from further down the hallway before opening up the door to my new bedroom. Before I dropped my bags onto the bed, I heard my mother give out a sigh of defeat and walked down the hallway toward my room.

"Mind helping me with my bags from the car?" she asked sweetly, but I could sense the playful tone in her voice.

"By 'helping you,' do you mean get them all as you watch me lug them up the stairs and through your bedroom door?" I asked playfully, giving her a teasing glance.

"Is there any other way?" She smiled at me once again before turning around and calling out, "Come on, Lazy Bones. Hustle." which, in turn, made me let out a scoff before following her out the door and to the car.

_**THE O.C.**_

"So, you excited to be starting private school? A bunch of snotty rich kids wishing they could do something in the world, where as half of them will probably wind up working for their parents eventually." Madison teased. I could hear the smile in her voice. She was happy to talk to me, and I was happy to talk to her. She was actually the first person I came out to. Of course, she was understanding, and as was the rest of my family.

"Well, when you make it sound so appealing like that, hell yeah!" I exclaimed as I unpacked the last of my clothes into the closet. Finally, I was all done unpacking. Now, all there was to do was relax before starting school in two days.

"Hey, just be happy they let you in late. They probably never do that." My sister could always do that, go from a joking tone to a serious one in the time it takes to flip a switch.

"I'm sure if they did, there would be some under-the-table negotiations going on." I said, continuing to keep my humorous tone with her.

"Sexual payments, maybe?"

"Hmm, scandal in the gated areas...who knew?"

"Alright, well I gotta go. But call me on Monday when you get to meet your new cookie-cutter friends." she chuckled lightly. I could hear a small rustling over the phone. She must have just gotten home from shopping for groceries because the rustling sounded a lot like plastic bags.

"For sure. Later, Maddie." I said before disconnecting the call. I sighed and laid my head back on one of the blue pillows. Not only did they look nice, but they felt nice. Not like the lumpy ones I was used to on my old bed. My relaxation was interrupted with my mother barging into my room. "I hope to God that door has locks." She peaked around the door and felt for the door knob.

"Don't worry, you're safe there, cowboy."

"Wha--? Cowboy? Really, Mom? Wow, you're getting lame in your old age." I teased lovingly, still not getting up from where my head rest on the pillow. I was too comfortable to do so.

"And to think we will share the same genes when you get older." I gave her a defeated look before finally sitting up. "Ah, and the plot thickens."

"What'd you need? You know, besides the confirmation that there will be no relaxation when I'm living with you."

"Oh, you know, the 'uze'; jumping out of airplanes with a twenty-seven percent chance that our parachute works, go for a thirty-five mile sprint down a crowded freeway, and maybe stop by the hardware store to pick up some rusty nails for lunch." she said sarcastically, all the while leaning against my door frame with her arms crossed over her chest in amusement.

"Ruthless woman..." I joked before getting up from the bed, which I could have sworn was at least ninety percent cloud.

"Oh, yeah, you'll have fun with that, too, when you get older."

"What did you really have in mind?" I asked curiously. Maybe it would be something fun and entertaining. I mean, new town had to have meant new activities, right?

"Actually, I was just going to stop over at this Chinese restaurant I saw on the way here and pick some lunch up. Anything in particular you wanted?"

"Orange Chicken, hold the nails."

"Ugh, fine. You suck the fun out of everything." she scoffed playfully before turning around and walking.

"Only because there are no nails clogging my throat, plotting their escape while taking away my ability to use my throat as the infamous fun-sucker!" I called, but only got a groan in response.

Maybe it was time to check out that infinity pool in the back. I put on some swim trunks and grabbed a towel from the linen closet next to the guest bathroom and walked outside. I put my towel on a lounge chair and threw my shirt at it, too, before I dove into the pool with a splash. I could feel the bubbles from my sudden motion surround me, tickling my body, as I stayed in place for a few moments before swimming farther into the pool before swimming back up. I brushed the water out of my eyes before hearing a voice coming from behind me.

"Hey, what are you doing?" a guy with curly, dark hair and a band t-shirt yelled down at me with a look of confusion. He was accompanied by a really cute guy with sandy blonde hair and, from what I can see, piercing blue eyes.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing?' I'm swimming." I said, slightly confused on why they asked me.

"Well, obviously dude, but--"

"He wants to know why you're swimming there." the other boy spoke up, his voice deep, sort of guttural.

"Umm...because I live here...?" I explained, not sure if it was enough to satisfy them.

"Wha--? When did the hell did that happen?" the curly haired boy asked, still confused at the situation.

"Uh, like...four hours ago." I explained, still keeping myself above the water.

"Oh, that makes sense." he called back, then being pulled aside to talk to his friend. "Why are we still yell—OW!" he yelped after he got socked in the arm by the blonde guy. "Meet on the street!" he called one last time, gesturing and pointing to the front of the house before they both turned around and walked off.

I sighed heavily before swimming my way to the step ladder and grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head. I grabbed the towel and tried to dry my hair as I walked to the front of our house, barefoot. I could feel the cobblestone driveway irritate my feet, but it didn't bother me enough to run back and get some shoes.

"So, you moved here?" the blonde boy asked me curiously as he stood beside his pale and lanky counterpart. They were the exact opposite of each other, it seemed. The lanky one had curly dark hair and was a little bit taller than the other boy, who had light hair and was a bit more muscular and athletic looking.

"Yup, just me and my mom." I explained awkwardly, swaying back and forth without moving from my own spot.

"Yeah, the past residents had a situation like that. Didn't end well, Buddy. Didn't end well." the taller one said, making me slightly confused. "Oh, umm, I'm Seth, by the way, and this is Ryan." he introduced.

"Hey. Jason." I greeted, shaking both of their hands. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?" I asked curiously, hoping that I could explore a bit later.

"Well, we...uhh...Ryan, help me out here." he said, his elbows sticking out as his hands laid on his hips.

"I mean, I guess there's...uhh.."

"He likes to punch people, so there's that." I chuckled lightly at that, looking over at a slightly embarrassed Ryan.

"Hey, boys." my mom greeted as she drove up to us.

"Hey, Mom. This is Seth and Ryan, our neighbors...right?" I looked back at them, they both nodded their heads in response. "Yeah, our neighbors."

"Do you guys want to come in for some Chinese food from a restaurant I can't pronounce?" she joked, holding up the bag of food.

"Uhh, no thanks, we--" Ryan started, his hand rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Of course we would, thank you Mrs...?"

"Uh..._Ms._ Gardener." she introduced and smiled to our new neighbors before pulling all the way into out driveway and went into the house.

"Wha--? Seth, we literally just ate." Ryan said, looking at Seth in disbelief.

"Ryan, you know my Jewish side can never refuse the offer to taste some of China's msot treasured delicacies."

"You know, that's not even _real_ Chinese food, right? It's Americanized." Ryan informed him, hands in his pocket. I looked between them as they bantered. They were obviously best friends. That's really cool, though. To be best friends with a family member. Kind of like me and Madison.

"Ssh...don't ruin the dream, Ryan." he joked, putting a finger up to his lips in emphasis.

"Yeah, no, I can totally hear the millions of Jewish people's hearts breaking because of this, Ryan." I teased, getting a smile from both of them.

"See? You _hurt_ my culture with your lies, Ryan." Seth said before dramatically clapping his hand onto his chest as we all walked into my new home.

**THE O.C.**

**Alright, tell me what you guys think. Leave me a review, because that's always incredibly important to do! =)**


	2. APOLOGIES!

**OKAY!!! So, I can explain; I swear! I was almost done with a new chapter when all of a sudden gasp my computer shuts off. At first, I'm all like, "Okay, no big deal...I'll just have to turn it back on." But when I did, the unholiest thing happened...my computer had some sort of virus going by the name of "Antivir"...ironic, right? I'm not really sure how I got it, but I did. Now, my computer is all better thanks to a $70 purchase of Norton, but all my files are lost...so it's like having a new computer without all the glam. So, I just wanted to tell you guys that I am trying my best to update, I promise you. Don't give up!**

**~Ritchie**


End file.
